Brooks B-17 fix - pain in the arse...
 

I posted this before the big crash... didn't get to see any responses. Sorry about the repeat.

I was moving my B-17 to a different bike in preparation for a longish ride, and discovered that one of the rails had broke. This is one hearty saddle, and the rails appear to be some kind of cast ferrous alloy. The only possible explanation I can think of is that the rail broke during a "rolling horizontal micro-adjust", i.e. during a ride when I slugged the nose to knock it a little to the left or right. (Won't be doing that anymore.)

Anyhow, to the question. Brooks sells a replacement frame (backplate/bracket assembly). Has anyone ever replaced one? Is it worth the trouble, or should I bite the bullet and replace the whole saddle?

I have a Brooks on my Flying Scot and looking at it would think replacing the frame might be a bit of a guddle.

However, a new saddle will take a while to bed in, so you have to balance up which of the two options would cause more of a pain in the arse.

Roadbuzz,
Bad news. I just spoke to my friend Bill Laine who owns Wallingford Bicycle Parts (wallbike.com), a major vendor of Brooks Saddles and parts. Bill tells me Brooks does not sell the frame assembly for the B-17. They are available only for certain models, and the B-17 is not one of them.
Regards,
Raymond

What if you picked up a 2nd used brooks sadle and swaped out frames or rails?

Alas! Hopefully Brooks will sell me some nice copper rivets for less than a new saddle, and I can take Joe's advice.

Roadbuzz,
Check with Wallingford for rivets. I know Bill carries parts, including some frames. I guess he must have rivets.
Regards,
Raymond

Thanks, Raymond! I tried calling the US contact number listed on the Brooks web-site yesterday, and got the standard "no longer a working number" message.